Signs too bright an idea?

Concern for residents may spur Clifton Park to enact restrictions

Published 12:31 am, Wednesday, January 26, 2011

A view of the electronic message board for Parkside Church in Clifton Park, NY on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)

A view of the electronic message board for Parkside Church in Clifton Park, NY on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)

Photo: Paul Buckowski

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A view of the electronic message board for Parkside Church in Clifton Park. The church is locatd through the trees in the background of the photograph. The church's pastor says he's tried to keep the brightness of the sign so that it doesn't turn residents off. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union) less

A view of the electronic message board for Parkside Church in Clifton Park. The church is locatd through the trees in the background of the photograph. The church's pastor says he's tried to keep the ... more

Photo: Paul Buckowski

Image 3 of 4

A view of the electronic message board for Parkside Church in Clifton Park, NY on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)

A view of the electronic message board for Parkside Church in Clifton Park, NY on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)

Photo: Paul Buckowski

Image 4 of 4

A view of the Parkside Church in Clifton Park, NY on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011. The church has erected an electronic message board near the main road. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)

A view of the Parkside Church in Clifton Park, NY on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011. The church has erected an electronic message board near the main road. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)

Photo: Paul Buckowski

Signs too bright an idea?

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CLIFTON PARK -- The Town Board is looking to curtail the use of electronic sign boards that enable businesses and others to remotely alter the messages.

After several full-color LED variable message signs appeared in town, board members became concerned about the potential impact on home owners.

Although the board originally considered a townwide ban, Supervisor Phil Barrett said members decided they are acceptable in heavily commercial areas like outside the Walgreens or Clifton Park Center mall on Route 9.

Other streets in the town might be less appropriate, he said.

"We decided there was a little more researching we had to do," Barrett said. "In a dense business area, these signs fit. I don't think they are offensive to anyone. If you allow them to proliferate in a residential setting, that would be offensive to a lot of folks. We have transition areas that go from a business area to residential zoning."

Parkside Church recently installed a full-color electronic sign off Grooms Road, an area where Barrett said it is close to homes.

"There is nothing in our code that prohibits them at this time," he said.

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But Pastor Paul McCart said the sign is more attractive than a standard sign with plastic letters.

"It enables us to change the message right from our office. We don't have to go out in minus 17 temperatures," he said. "It really does give a crisp, sharp, professional image. We find it's going to be a very useful tool."

The church has included service times, notices of upcoming events, and the traditional display of the Sunday sermon theme.

The church has been careful to set the brightness so it doesn't disturb neighbors, he said, and it does not use the sign's ability to show video or even scroll through multiple images.

"We just have static images up there," he said. "We've just been very pleased with the sign and just received a very positive response. It's a nice, practical feature for us to be able to use today's technology."

"The Sign Review Board is setting limits," Wiest said. "The limits are basically these messages can change every two to three minutes."

Barrett said the signs are acceptable in some areas but not others.

Ushers Road is a perfect example of the type of road where the signs could be problematic, Barrett said.

"You come off the 87 ramp and you take a right, it's all businesses," he said. "You take a left, there are some businesses but it swiftly becomes residential."

Getting off Exit 8 on the Northway, he said, is similar. Exiting to the south is a business area that swiftly turns into a neighborhood of homes.

Planning Director John Scavo will be going out to measure distance from business zones to nearby residential neighborhoods to determine if there is an acceptable distance, Town Attorney Thomas McCarthy said.

"If we just said it's allowed in commercial areas, that would still have an impact on residential areas," he said.

The legislation would not apply to highways signs like those operated by the state Department of Transportation. It also would not apply to public service messages like the time and temperature on bank signs, McCarthy said.

The town also might make exceptions for gas stations to post prices, Barrett said.